Pouch with sliderless fastener closure



Jan. 19, 1954 J. SHARAT 2,666,466

POUCH WITH SLIDERLESS FASTENER CLOSURE Filed Aug. 28; 1952 Jalue's' bland,

Patented Jan. 19, 1954 sane POUCH WITH SLIDERLESS FASTENER CLOSURE Julius Sharat, New York, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Emil F. Svec, New York,

Application August 28, 1952, Serial No. 306,834

My invention relates to a pouch or the like container having a sliclerless fastener closure, and more particularly, to a pouch having a fastener or closure arrangement adapted to provide an air-tight seal, and a process of and apparatus for fabricating such closure arrangement.

At the present time, pouches or the like containers are employed for a variety of different purposes, including use as containers for tobacco or the like particulate material which should be kept in a substantially air-tight and. moisture proof container, in orcier to preserve the quality thereof. An obvious disadvantage of many fasteners, including the ordinarily used metallic slide fasteners, is that such fasteners are'not adapted to provide an air-tight seal. In. avidition, such fasteners tend to become clogged or inoperative as a result of collection of particulate material in between the closely spaced metallic projections or teeth. In fact, all slide fasteners employing a slider for effecting opening and closing of such fastener leave something to he desired. in this respect, since the slider ordinarily fits very snugly in the slide fasteners and even a small amount of dirt, dust or the. like particulate material may interfere very substantially with the normal reciprocal movement of the slider.

Heretofore, however, the slide fasteners em ployecl in tobacco pouches or the like containers were almost invariably a slider-operated metallic slide fastener, or at least slider-operated slide fasteners of one type or another, since such fasappear to he the only type Whichcould he handily opened anti. closed and which provided sufficlent strength when closed.

The instant invention, however, relates to a pouch with a sliderless fastener closure. The instant pouch is provided with a unique type of esilient fastener arrangement, suitably equipped with the necessary means for opening the fastoner and. for closing the same merely by the use of manual squeezing and pulling forces, even though such afastener is substantially air-tight when closed and is capable of resisting very great oiling forces applied in the manner ordinarily i olved in regular use of the pouch. In paricular, my invention provides a tab suitably a ached to one strip of a sliderless fastener or osure to provide, in combination with the op. oste strip of the closure, means for opening fastener or closure Without using a slider. f invention also consists in an apparatus for closure strips.

3 Claims. (01. 1503) It is, therefore, an important object of my invention to provioe an improved pouch with a sliderless fastener or closure, an improved sliderless fastener or closure therefor, and an improved apparatus for and method of fabricating such pouch and sliderloss fastener or closure.

It is another object of my invention. to provide an improved fastener comprising, in comhination, two flat strips having overlapping edge portions, a reinforcement in each of aid eclge portions having two ridges and two grooves arranged substan ially normal to the planes of said strips, respectively, said grooves in on of said reinforcements corresponding in shape to said. ridges in the other of said. reinforcements and. vice versa; and. a tab secured to the back of one of said reinforcements and extending outvvaroly therefrom in substantially parallel align merit with the strip mounting the other of said. reinforcements, whereby said strips may be fastened to each other by pressure acting substantially normal to the planes of said strips, and said s rips may be separated from each'other by grasping said tab and. strip parallelly aligned therewith and pulling them apart in directions substantially normal to the planes of strips. It is a further object of my invention to providean improved pouch comprising of superimposed sheet-like Wall portions having free eoige portionsat one side for donning an openanci having engaged. edge portions at the remaining sides defining a container, one of said. edge portions extending outwardly at such opening in substantially parallel relations ip from the other or edge portion; a first fiat closure strip engaging the outer free portion and extending towardv inner free 9.. portion; second. fiat closure s '21: e 'ing the inner free edge portion and. extend the outer free edge portion to overlap in s o stantially parallel relationship said. first closure strip; a reinforcement in each sai-rl senting ollochirally mating contiguous each having a pair of ridges and a pair of g ooves losure strips each having a plurality of grooves and a like number of ridges therein arranged lubstantially normal to the planes of each said strips, that comprises providing rigid supporting surfaces to conform substantially to the bottoms of each such grooves in one of said strips and fitting such supports snugl against said bottoms, positioning the tab against the back of the strip opposite said tted supports, and applying heat and pressure to the outer surface of the tab at localized points directly opposite said supports to squeeze the strip and tab against said supports until the tab is fused to the strip.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide an improved apparatus for welding a thermoplastic finger tab to one of a pair of allochiral thermoplastic closure strips each having a plurality of grooves and a like number of ridges therein arranged substantially normal to the planes of each said strips, that comprises means defining spaced uniplanar rigid supporting surfaces to conform substantially to the bottoms of each such grooves in one of said strips and heatsealing electrodes movable in a plane normal to the plane of said surfaces and aligned with each such surfaces to apply heat and pressure to the tab positioned upon a strip which is engaged with said surfaces.

Other objects, features and advantages of my invention will become apparent to those skilled the art from a consideration of the following disclosure and the attached sheet of drawings, which form a part thereof.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of a pouch embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevational view taken substantially along the lines 11-11 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan View of a pouch embodying my invention, showing the pouch in partially opened position; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detailed view of an apparatus for affixing a tab to a closure strip, in accordance with the principles of invention.

As shown on the drawing:

7 In Figure l, the reference numeral it indicates generally a pouch embodying the present invention, including a resilient sheet-like back wall it and a resilient sheet-like front wall i2 sub stantiall co-extensive therewith and secured to the back wall along the side edges, at it and I l and the bottom edge 15. Preferably, the walls i and iii are made of sheets of thermoplastic synthetic resin materials such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, halogenated polyethylenes, polyvinyl acetate and polyethylene, copolymers, heteropolymers and mixtures thereof. Such materials are substantially impervious to air and moisture, and may be prepared in suitably thin resilient sheets which are translucent, and substantially transparent, so as to be suitable for use in the instant pouch iii. The front and back walls l2 and H may be suitably heat-sealed, or sewed together, or both, along their marginal edges at #3, is and i 5, so as to define a suitable air-tight and moisture proof container portion for the pouch l8.

As is best seen in Figures 1 and 2, the back wall i extends upwardly a short distance beyond the top 241 of the front wall 12. The top i la of the back wall is substantially parallel to but spaced upwardly from the top I'm of the front wall l2, along the free or unsecured edge portions of such walls ii and !2, so as to define what amounts to an elongated slot-like opening that is substantially coplanar with the front wall {.2 and which 1 and l 6b respectively.

is filled with the instant closure or fastener arrangement, which will be described hereinafter.

The instant closure, herein designated by the reference numeral is, is substantially co-extensive with the top portion of the back wall II extending above the top of the front wall l2, includingly engaged along their outer edges to the back wall I I; and the bottom edge ltd is sealingly engaged with, and preferably integral with, the top l2a of the front wall i2, so as to provide a complete seal for the elongated slot-like opening defined by the front and back walls i2 and it, as described.

As best shown in Figure 2, the fastener or closure assembly 56 of the present invention, includes a pair of identical interengaging strips El and 18. Each of the strips i? and can be conveniently fabricated b extrusion through a suitable die followed by serving the extruded strip to appropriate lengths.

Suitable materials for manufacturing the strips IT and I8 include the thermoplastic and thermo setting organic synthetic resins.

Of particular importance for this use are the vinyl type resins such as polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride-polyvinyl acetate copolymers, and similar vinyl resins and polyethylene. Rubber, either natural or synthetic, is not a preferred starting material, since, in the case of rubber, it is more difficult to control the degree of rigidity for interlocking engagement between the strips ll and it. However, by proper compounding and vulcanizing of rubber the degree of rigidity can be controlled to make the rubber acceptable for the purposes of the instant invention.

The strips I1 and I 8 which may be used in the practice of my invention include the closure strips such as those described and claimed in United States Patent No. 2,558,367, issued to Borge Madsen on June 26, 1951. The strip ll includes a substantially flat, thin web portion Na and an offset longitudinal marginal portion l9 substantially thicker than the thickness of the web Ila. Formed in the reinforced marginal portion I9 is an alternate series of a plurality, preferably two, of channels or grooves 20 and solid rib-like projections or ridges 2!, extending in substantially parallel relationship the full length of the strip ll. As shown herein, the strip I1 and the reinforced marginal portion i9 extend substantially the full distance between the pouch side edges I3 and it (Figure l) and the extremities of the reinforced marginal portion l9 are flattened so as to merge into the rounded ends its and IE2) of the fastener assembly I6.

It will be seen that the strip 98 is substantially identical in cross-section to the strip El, and the strip I8 is afiixed to the back wall top Ila to extend downwardly therefrom so as to present an integral reinforced edge portion that is substantially symmetrical to the edge portion [9 of strip ll, the edge portion IQ of the strip I1 and the edge portion 22 of the strip is thereby presenting allochirally mateable grooves and ridges, on the contiguous faces thereof. The grooves and ridges are arranged substantially normal to, or at right angles to, the planes of the strips l1 and I8, or the planes of the flat unreinforced portions of the strips l1 and I8, such as the portion Ila of the strip I'I. grooves in one of the reinforced edges correspond in shape to the ridges in the other of the reinforced edges, and vice versa. Of course, a plurality of ridges may be employed in each reinforced edge, with an equal number of grooves arranged substantially as here shown.

As is best shown in Figure 4, the head portion 21a of each ridge 2! is enlarged and the neck portion 2| 1) of each ridge 2! is constricted, so as to form an adjacent complementary groove 20 with a restricted opening thereinto and in an enlarged bottom portion, as shown. In this manner, the groove 2%] in one of the strips l? corresponds in shape to the ridge in the other of the strips 18, and vice versa. Also, the head portion Zia of each of the ridges 2| has an engaging surface 2E0 providing a portion overhanging the adjacent groove 2!) in the same edge portion i9 and the engaging surface Zlc of the ridge 2|, shown in Figure 4;, will be in opposed contact with a corresponding engaging surface of another ridge on the strip [8 when the respective edge portions l5 and 22 are interengaged. Also, the median plane of each of the plane portions Na and Ida of each strip ii and I8 passes through the ridge integral therewith, and these planes lie on opposite sides of the interface between the undercut surfaces 2 lo, 210.

Each of the ridges 2! has, on the side toward its plane portion, l'la or 8 30,, and on that side only, an undercut surface 2 lo adjoining the head portion Zia with the neck portion Zib of the ridge 2!, has hereinbefore described. The undercut surface 2Ic may be inclined (with or without the serrations thereon as shown in Madsen Patent No. 2,558,367) or the undercut surface 2 lo may be in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the strip, and substantially aligned therewith, aslhere shown. Preferably, the median plane of each strip passes below the head a portion 2 la of the ridge 2 i.

As can be seen, the strip ll which is affixed to the front wall I2 (or integral therewith) overlaps the strip it which is amxed to the back wall H. A manually graspable finger tab 23 is suitably secured to the back or outside face of the reinforced edge it of the strip H. The flap tab 23 is secured to the back of the edge portion [9 and extends upwardly therefrom in substantially parallel alignment with the opposing strip 58. The tab 23 may be integral with the strip ll and the edge portion l9; but in such case, different dies may be used to extrude the strips I! and it, or the same die be used so as to provide a thin plane strip or; tending from the reinforced edge portions l9 and 22. Such thin strip may be sheared as completely from the hack closure strip it, and it may be removed from the front closure strip ll except for that portion necessary to define the The tab 23 (unless it exten s only a short distance from the strips 11 and |8).

, Preferably, however, the tab 23 is made of a thermoplastic resin which is the same as or similar to that used in the walls H and l2, and in the strips if and it; and the tab 23 is preferably heat-sealed to the strip :7. Ordinary heat-sealing methods call for the application of heat and pressure to the non-contiguous faces of two mombers to be heat-sealed, but the ordinary applica tion of heat and pressure against the outside face 23a of tab 23 and against the front or working face of the reinforced edge portion it of the strip.

I? would result in damage to the ribs 2! and/or grooves 20 to such an extent that the ribs 2! and/or grooves 20 would be unable to function properly in interlocking engagement. I have found a new and improved method of and apparatus for effectively securing or afiixing the tab 23 to the back of the reinforced edge portion GS of the strip H.

In accordance with my improved method and apparatus, I provide spaced uniplanar rigid supporting members or pulleys 24 and 25 which present surfaces Ma and 25a that conform substantially in shape to the bottoms of each of the grooves 20, 28 in the reinforced portion l9 of the strip ll. Preferably, the pulleys 2d and 25 are substantially disk like members mounted for rotation on a shaft 25, so that the pulleys 2d and 25 may be rotated for relative movement between the strip H and the pulleys 2t and 25. In general, the top surfaces of each of the pulleys 2d and 25, which engage the bottom portions of the grooves 20, 29 must engage those regions of the grooves 20, 2|! which are directly below the heatsealing electrodes 21 and 2B. Thus, if the heatsealing electrodes 2? and 28 remain in a substantially fixed position and the strip i? with the tab 23 thereon is moved longitudinally so as to provide a plurality of spaced contacts for the electrodes 2? and 28, then the shaft 2t remains in a substantially fixed position directly below the electrodes 2'l and 28 and the shaft is permitted to rotate so that the pulleys 2 and 25 may rotate as the strip i'l is passed thereover. On the other hand, if it is desired to move the electrodes 2? and 28 and retain the strip H with the tab 23 thereon in substantially fixed position, then the shaft 2i; is caused to move longitudinally so as to follow the movement ofv the electrodes 2! and 28; then the shaft 26 may or may not be rotated so as to accommodate rotary movement of the pulleys 2d and 25 which are maintained in contact with the strip ll just below the electrodes 2?, 23 at all times. In this manner, the application of heat and pressure between the top of the pulley 2 5 and the bottom of the electrode 2?, in the manner well known in the art for effecting heat-sealing of thermoplastic sheet materials, results in the fusion or heat-sealing of the tab 23 to the back of the reinforced edge portion E5 in substantial alignment of the groove 20, and without and deformation of the groove 2% or the adjacent ridges 2i, 2!. The cooperation between the second electrode 26 and the top of the pulley 25 is substantially the same.

As will be appreciated, a secure and strong adherence between the tab 23 and the reinforced edge portion it is absolutely necessary, since the closure strips ii and it are to be pulled apart, when the pouch Hi is opened, by the application of manual pulling on the tab and on the top portion of the back wall H, indi ated by the arrows in Figure 2. The tab 23 must then be secured to the closure strip if by means sufficiently strong to permit one to grasp the tab 23 in one hand and the juxtaposed plane portion of the strip I8 and the top of the back wall l l in the other hand, and to pull in opposite directions so as to disengage the ridges and grooves which are interlocked at the contiguous faces of the reinforced edge portions id and 22. Accordin ly, a very strong and effective heat-seal must be ob-- tained, and if such heat-seal were obtained by normal means, the profile or shape of the reinforced edge portion l9 would most certainly be crushed or effectively altered, so that that particular portion of the reinforced edge it would be 7 incapable of sealingly engaging the corresponding contiguous face of the reinforced edge 22 on the strip It.

On the other hand, it will also be appreciated that a suitable pulley arrangement which completely fills the grooves 2d, 29 in the reinforced edge i9 would also be of such shape that it would cause alteration of the profile of the reinforced edge when such pulley would be removed, from the edge after each sealing. I found that by employing the pulleys 24 and 25 which have the contour or profile corresponding to approximately onehalf of each of the grooves 2e, 2%], and corresponding to that half of the grooves 20, 2B which does not have an overhanging ridge surface 2 lo, I may effectively insert the supporting surface of each of the pulleys 24 and 25 into their respective grooves 2t, 25 and against the bottom thereof. The profile of each pulley 2t and 25 is shaped to conform substantially with a substantial proportion of the curved bottom of each of the grooves, so that such bottom is suitably supported and no deformation thereof takes place upon the application of pressure through the electrodes 2'5, 28.

It will thus be seen that by heat-sealing the tab 23 to localized spots or points on the back of the reinforced edge portion is which aligned with the bottoms of the groove 2? I may obtain suitably strong adhesion and overall structure for my intended purpose, as well as certain other advantages. For example, it might be expected by those skilled in the art that suitable structural strength could be obtained only by affixing the tab to the back of the reinforced edge 1;) at points opposite the thi k solid ridges 2!, 2!. I have found, in contrast, that by applying the tab 23 at heat-sealed points opposite the bottoms of the grooves 253, 20 I may apply such a tab without causing deformation of the reinforced edge portion iii. in addition, I have found that by affixing the tab 23 to the rather thin sections of the reinforced edge portion i9 opposite the groove bottoms, I am able to more eifectively open or disengage the closure strips l? and is from their normal interlocking position. I believe that this is true because of the particular manner in whic l the tab 23 is affixed to the back of the reinforced edge portion it. As will be seen best in Figure l, the opening pull on the tab 23 results in a pull of greatest magnitude at the back of the reinforced edge is at approximately the point at which heat-sealing of the tab 23 to the edge portion is effected between the pulley 2s and the electrode This pull results in the application of a torque-like pull (in cross-section) upon he outer ridge 3 i. The ridge 2 i, being of flexible resilient material, thus to disengage itself from the corresponding groove of the portion 22 of the strip l3. by a slight clockwise rotation (as shown in Figure 4) which rotation is facilitated by the fact that the root or base of the ridge 2! is not directly heat sealed to the tab 23. By effectively sealing the tab 23 to the reinforcing edge it slightly inwardly of the root of the ridge 22, I have found that the ridge fl is afforded slightly greater freedom of movement, although sealing and interlocking cooperation between the outer or terminal ridge 2i and the corresponding groove of the opposite reinforced edge portion 22 is in no way impaired.

In carrying out the instant method of affixing the tab 23 to the back of the reinforced edge portion 19, I may employ any of the well known heat-sealing operations involving tho-application of heat and pressure as here shown. If desired, I may first apply a softening solvent at the interface between the tab and the reinforced edge is. Ordinarily this is not necessary, and the seal is effectively obtained merely by urging the heated electrodes 2i and 23 against the outer surface of the tab 23, so as to effectively squeeze together the elements 23 and i9 and to fuse the same together.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A pouch comprising front and sh like wall portions having mating edges 1. together to define a container and having responding free upper edges spaced from each other to define an opening into said container on the front side thereof, a first closure strip secured to the free upper edge of said back wall to extend the length thereof and downir therefrom, a second fiat closure strip secured to the free upper edge of said front wall to exte the length thereof and upwardly therefrom overlap said first closure strip, said closure strips having offset integral thickened reinforcements and said reinforcements having on confron faces longitudinally extending grooves and ridges, each of said ridges having an enlarged head portion and a constricted neck portion and each of said grooves having a restricted opening and an enlarged bottom portion, said groove one of said reinforcements being aligned with corresponding in cross-section to the ridge in the other of said reinforcements and vice versa, corresponding ends of said reinforcements being mated and united integrally with each other and with said front and back wall portions, and an integral extension along the exposed face of i ...e reinforcement of said second closure strip projecting upwardly therefrom and generally parallel to and spaced from said first closure s p, whereby said reinforcements can separated provide an opening into said container by grasping said extension and pulling the same away from said first closure strip.

2. A pouch comprising a resilient sheet-like back wall, a resilient sheet-like front wall secured to the back wall along side and bottom edges to form a container open at the top, so back wall extending upwardly a short distancbeyond the top of said front wall, a first closure strip on the top of said back wall and extending downwardly therefrom, a second closure strip on the top of said front wall and extending upwardly corill

tion having a continuous solid ridge and a continuous groove arranged longitudinally of t edge portion, the head portion of each ridge lng enlarged and the neck portion of each ridge being constricted to form an adjacent complementary groove with a restricted opening ti into and an enlarged body portion, the groove in one of said strips being aligned with and corresponding in shape to the ridge in the other of said strips and vice versa, corresponding ends of said reinforced edge portions being interengaged and being united to each other and to said front and back walls to define an opening into idv nt n r subs antially the length thereof between said side edges, and an extension integral with and projecting from said second closure strip in spaced relation to said first closure strip to facilitate separation thereof.

3. A sliderless fastener structure of the type that'is closeable by being manually pressed together progressively longitudinally thereof, comprising two air and moisture impervious flexible sheets lying generally in the same plane and having overlapping longitudinally extending edge portions, said edge portions being constituted by oifset integral thickened reinforcements having on confronting faces longitudinally extending.

grooves and ridges, each of said ridges having an enlarged head portion and a constricted neck portion and each of said grooves having a restricted opening and an enlarged bottom portion, said grooves in one of said reinforcements aligned with and corresponding in cross-section to the ridges in the other of said reinforcements and vice versa whereby said reinforcements may be interengaged by being pressed together progres-- sively along the lengths thereof, corresponding ends of said reinforcements being so interengaged and being integrally united to each other and .projecting laterally therefrom and 10 to said sheets, and an integral extension on an exposed outer face of one of said reinforcements generally parallel to and spaced from the sheet having the other of said reinforcements, whereby said reinforcements may be separated from each other by grasping said extension and pulling the same away from the other of reinforcements.

JULIUS SHARAT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,711,349 Howard Apr. 30, 1929 1,927,751 Mensi Sept. 19, 1933 2,474,495 Pollak June 28, 1949 2,475,277 Budnik July 5, 1949 2,479,375 Langer Aug. 16, 1949 2,514,750 Dobbs et al. July 11, 1950 2,558,367 Madsen June 26, 1951 2,560,535 Allen July 1'7, 1951 2,613,421 Madsen Oct. 14, 1952 

